Posted Tuesday, January 29, 2008
After leaving the Panama Canal we headed north to Costa Rica and the port city of Puenta Arenas, docking there on Wednesday, January 23. Barbara Christy had arranged an “extreme” adventure zip-lining over the rain forest canopy at a park called Turu Ba Ri. We had a very pleasant young guide, Douglas, who outfitted us with ropes, pulleys, and helmet equipment. He would lead by zipping ahead of us and then help us land on the next platform built around a tree. Some of us were a bit apprehensive and nervous at first, but not dare-devil Don. He held on with one hand and videoed the whole experience with his other hand (complete with his famous solar eclipse-like screaming sound effects). It truly was a thrilling experience—soaring over the treetops through the wind like a bird. There were seven zip lines of varying lengths—the shortest about 90 meters and the last and longest one 700 meters (almost half a mile)! Sometimes we had to hike across swinging bridges in the jungle or climb steep stairs to get to the next line. We really felt like Tarzan and Jane after this experience! The best part is that we can actually prove we did it and re-live the experience with Don’s action-packed video.
In Acapulco on Saturday, January 26, our group of five hired a comfortable air-conditioned van with a nice guide, Armando. We saw the morning cliff-diving show at La Quebrada where the divers (several young men, a young boy and a girl) scaled up the sheer cliffs from sea level and then dove 130 feet down into the ocean. As the admission included a drink, we were obliged to have a “cervesa” at 9:30AM. We spent the rest of the day shopping, touring and having lunch at Senior Frog’s overlooking the beautiful Bay of Acapulco.
Sunday, January 27, we docked at the largest commercial port in Mexico—Manzanillo. US Customs inspects all of the cargo containers in this port before they arrive on the US West Coast. We took a taxi to Santiago Bay and visited with Mary Lytton, the aunt of our Scottsdale friend, Walt Koppenbrink. We had a delightful visit to the place where she has spent 6 weeks every year for over twenty years. We had a great Mexican lunch in an open-air thatched roof restaurant at Palma Real overlooking the beach and a beautiful resort.
The best evening entertainment in the past week has been Jon Cortenay, an excellent pianist, comedian and singer who gave a very energetic performance. We also had a Mexican folklore group come aboard which gave an excellent show with the most elaborate, colorful costumes. The bad news about the ship is that the food continues to be TOO excellent. Our waiters are a true delight—Ante from Serbia and Anastasia from Russia.
Tomorrow, January 30, we dock in Los Angeles. Dan Christy, whose career was in the Hollywood film-editing business, has arranged a tour of Universal Studios for our group. We will stop first to pick up Christine Villard and Dennis & Jane Fennessey who will be joining us on board for the cruise to Sydney. We will then have four days at sea and arrive in Honolulu on Monday, February 4. If the satellite gods are with us, it is rumored that we can see the Super Bowl on board on February 3. However, even on the newest ship on the seas with all its high-tech equipment, our internet access and WiFi service can be sporadic and unpredictable. If so, we can still see it later by picking up the taped version when we arrive in Honolulu to visit friends from the first world cruise, Barbara and George Read.
After leaving the Panama Canal we headed north to Costa Rica and the port city of Puenta Arenas, docking there on Wednesday, January 23. Barbara Christy had arranged an “extreme” adventure zip-lining over the rain forest canopy at a park called Turu Ba Ri. We had a very pleasant young guide, Douglas, who outfitted us with ropes, pulleys, and helmet equipment. He would lead by zipping ahead of us and then help us land on the next platform built around a tree. Some of us were a bit apprehensive and nervous at first, but not dare-devil Don. He held on with one hand and videoed the whole experience with his other hand (complete with his famous solar eclipse-like screaming sound effects). It truly was a thrilling experience—soaring over the treetops through the wind like a bird. There were seven zip lines of varying lengths—the shortest about 90 meters and the last and longest one 700 meters (almost half a mile)! Sometimes we had to hike across swinging bridges in the jungle or climb steep stairs to get to the next line. We really felt like Tarzan and Jane after this experience! The best part is that we can actually prove we did it and re-live the experience with Don’s action-packed video.
In Acapulco on Saturday, January 26, our group of five hired a comfortable air-conditioned van with a nice guide, Armando. We saw the morning cliff-diving show at La Quebrada where the divers (several young men, a young boy and a girl) scaled up the sheer cliffs from sea level and then dove 130 feet down into the ocean. As the admission included a drink, we were obliged to have a “cervesa” at 9:30AM. We spent the rest of the day shopping, touring and having lunch at Senior Frog’s overlooking the beautiful Bay of Acapulco.
Sunday, January 27, we docked at the largest commercial port in Mexico—Manzanillo. US Customs inspects all of the cargo containers in this port before they arrive on the US West Coast. We took a taxi to Santiago Bay and visited with Mary Lytton, the aunt of our Scottsdale friend, Walt Koppenbrink. We had a delightful visit to the place where she has spent 6 weeks every year for over twenty years. We had a great Mexican lunch in an open-air thatched roof restaurant at Palma Real overlooking the beach and a beautiful resort.
The best evening entertainment in the past week has been Jon Cortenay, an excellent pianist, comedian and singer who gave a very energetic performance. We also had a Mexican folklore group come aboard which gave an excellent show with the most elaborate, colorful costumes. The bad news about the ship is that the food continues to be TOO excellent. Our waiters are a true delight—Ante from Serbia and Anastasia from Russia.
Tomorrow, January 30, we dock in Los Angeles. Dan Christy, whose career was in the Hollywood film-editing business, has arranged a tour of Universal Studios for our group. We will stop first to pick up Christine Villard and Dennis & Jane Fennessey who will be joining us on board for the cruise to Sydney. We will then have four days at sea and arrive in Honolulu on Monday, February 4. If the satellite gods are with us, it is rumored that we can see the Super Bowl on board on February 3. However, even on the newest ship on the seas with all its high-tech equipment, our internet access and WiFi service can be sporadic and unpredictable. If so, we can still see it later by picking up the taped version when we arrive in Honolulu to visit friends from the first world cruise, Barbara and George Read.
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